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Thursday, July 10, 2014

Grants for pets in aged care through the Animal Welfare League Australia

Gysy the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel has a frolic on the grass.

Do you have a family
member in an aged care facility who needs assistance in keeping their pet? Do
you work in an aged care facility willing to help residents maintain the bond
with their animals?

The Animal Welfare LeagueAustralia (AWLA) has just announced a new small grants program for projects
supporting pets in aged care settings – this is a fantastic, much-needed
initiative.

The Pets in Aged CareGrants program will allocate small grants of up to $1000 to assist aged care
facilities and residents make suitable arrangements or modifications to enable
residents and their pets to live together.

It is increasingly common
for aged care facilities to have shared pets, but this grants program is
specifically aimed at supporting existing bonds between aged care residents and
their individual pets. According to the AWLA,

Separating
elderly residents from their animal companions when their pets cannot be
accommodated in aged care facilities can lead to significant grief at a time
already marked by a profound sense of loss and sadness, and lead to a range of
health problems, sleep and appetite disturbances and integration difficulties.

Some
elderly people in the community who can no longer care for themselves are
unwilling to leave their homes because they are not permitted to take their
pets with them to supported accommodation. Outcomes for their animals vary,
with some animals re-homed, others surrendered to shelters and some euthanased.

The
idea is that the grants will provide practical assistance to help cover costs
like vet bills, grooming, dog walking, feeding or making minor modifications to
living quarters.

This
program is part of AWLA’s Positive Ageing in the Company of Animals Project
through which retirement villages and nursing homes across Australia are
surveyed to find good models for keeping residents and pets together. If you
know any retirement villages or nursing homes that fit the bill, please let
them know about the project.

The
findings are hopeful, according to AWLA Executive Director Anne Boxhall.

“A
strong theme in survey responses from the aged care sector has been that although managing
pets in aged care settings can be challenging at times, it is not impossible. Nothing
is insurmountable, issues can be managed and it’s worth the effort because the
lives and well-being of residents improve markedly.”

That means that making changes – installing a cat
door or organising a dog walker or arranging vet visits – can make a HUGE
amount of difference to someone.

The AWLA have provided additional information:

The powerful difference that the human-animal
bond can make to the lives and well-being of aged care residents can be seen in
action on the Far North Coast of NSW, where a team of volunteers from Friends
of the Pound (Tweed Heads) visit the Blue Care Kingscliff aged care residences
daily to feed, clean and walk resident’s pets.

“Pets help
older people, especially those who are suffering from dementia, to adjust to
their new surrounds,” Friends of the Pound President Sonia Trichter said.

“In
the case of the first cat-owning resident supported by this program, the lady
cried continually, would not sleep or eat but this all changed when we gave her
the cat back as it had been surrendered to us by the family. Her life in
care took on another meaning, other residents would call on her to look at the
cat and she even started taking bus trips.”

Bernadette Lee, Integrated Service Manager at
Blue Care Kingscliff Aged Care Facility, would like to see other providers
offering similar programs to support residents with pets.

“It’s a really good model, it’s easy and it does
work. We’ve had people from as far away as Cairns wanting to come here because
we take pets,” said Ms Lee.

“We see the benefits in the quality of life for
the pet owner as they settle easily into the new environment and quickly become
engaged with other residents and staff as they introduce their pet.

“We also see the benefits spread beyond the pet’s
owner to other residents and also staff. It’s a relaxing and happy moment in
time when you stop to pat or cuddle a pet.”

Applications for the Pets in Aged Care Grants are now open
and can be made by aged care facilities, residents, and family and friends on
behalf of residents. Application packages are available online at www.awla.com.au
Closing date for applications is 5 September 2014.

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